Spring Equinox and Final supermoon of 2019 coincide in almost two decades

Earth and Nature

Spring Equinox and Final supermoon of 2019 coincide in almost two decades

March 20, 2019 4:35 PM
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Skymet Weather Team

Sky-gazers will get to see a cosmic play on March 21, as a supermoon lights up the spring equinox in 19 years. As per astronomy website, a full moon has not come this near to the first day of spring since 2000

This cosmic coincidence of the two celestial events won't be seen until 2030. On March 20, the moon will be just 223,309 miles away from Earth. By early morning of March 21, the moon will officially reach its full phase.

At 7:12 am (IST), the full lunar disk will appear 14 percent larger and 12 percent brighter than usual, known as a supermoon.

It may be the last equinox supermoon for 2019, but the best one. We have already seen supermoons on January 21 and February 19.

The equinox would be at 3:28 am (IST) on March 21, less than four hours before the supermoon arrives. During equinox, both halves of the planet get equal amounts of day and night.

March equinox marks the start of spring in Northern Hemisphere, while it’s beginning of autumn in Southern Hemisphere.

For the northerners, March full moon is called as the worm moon as it is at the same time of the year when earthworms emerge from the soils. If you aren’t able to see this astronomical grandeur, you can check out a couple of livecasts.